• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

SportsTopics

Top-Rated Sports Products and Reviews

  • Sports & Fitness
  • Fitness Accessories
  • Fitness Tips
  • About

Best Olympic Barbells in 2021 – (Reviews and Buyer’s Guide)

by Jason Johnson | Last Updated: January 3, 2021

Best Olympic BarbellA good barbell is an indispensable piece of home gym equipment for anyone who is serious about lifting. It’s a versatile tool with which you can perform any of an extraordinarily wide range of exercises. Whether you’re just getting into weightlifting or are an old pro, a strong and reliable barbell is very useful to have.

Since the market is so diverse and profuse with choices, diving straight into making a choice with no prior background knowledge on exactly what kinds of features you should be hunting for can be bewildering and overwhelming.

That’s why we’d like to help you find your bearings in this area by discussing 10 of the best and most affordable barbells you’re likely to find on the market these days.

To really flesh out your knowledge, we’ve also included a buyer’s guide that’s meant to tell you about the specific barbell features that are most desirable, how barbells differ from one another and what to look for in general depending on your specific lifting goals and individual style. We hope to make you into an informed shopper so you can pick up what you need and get straight to pumping iron.

Table of Contents

  • 1. CAP Barbell Olympic Bar Blue Flame — Best Powerlifting Bar
  • 2. Rep Sabre Olympic Bar — Best Knurling on a Powerlifting Bar
  • 3. Synergee Regional Olympic — Most Versatile Olympic Barbell
  • 4. XMark Voodoo Commercial 7′ Olympic Bar — Best Non-Corroding Powerlifting Barbell
  • 5. CAP Barbell Olympic Bar Original — Best Barbell for Beginners
  • 6. XMark Lumberjack 7′ Olympic Bar — Best CrossFit Workout Barbell
  • 7. Body-Solid 7 Foot Olympic Barbell — Best Rust-Resistant CrossFit Barbell
  • 8. Yaheetech Olympic 7 feet Weight Bar — Best Inexpensive CrossFit Barbell
  • 9. CAP Barbell Classic 7-Foot Olympic Bar — Decent Cheap Olympic Barbell
  • 10. Weider Olympic Bar with 2 Collars Chrome Barbell — Least Expensive Olympic Barbell
  • Best Olympic Barbell – Buyer’s Guide
    • Why it’s Important to be Aware of the Characteristics of Different Barbells and to Choose the Right One
    • The Most Important Characteristics of a Barbell
    • Different Bars and Different Lifting Styles
    • Conclusion

1. CAP Barbell Olympic Bar Blue Flame — Best Powerlifting Bar

CAP Barbell Olympic Bar Blue Flame ReviewThis bar is nicknamed “the beast” for a good reason. It’s built to handle power. It can bear an incredible load of up to 1,200 pounds and can accommodate 2-inch Olympic plates.

It’s got a bushing rotation system and great sleeves to boot. With an impressive tensile strength of 110,000 PSI, it’s unquestionably meant for heavy-duty lifters.

If power lifting is your thing, this barbell is a dream come true. For all of the excellent features it offers, it still finds a way not to be too expensive.

Pros
  • can bear up to 1,200 pounds of weight
  • extremely high tensile strength (110,000 PSI)
  • chrome coating that prevents rust
Cons
  • can sometimes leave metal splinters in your hands

Verdict: If you’re a powerlifter, or are looking to get into powerlifting, get this bar. It has everything you could need at a reasonable price.

2. Rep Sabre Olympic Bar — Best Knurling on a Powerlifting Bar

Rep Sabre Olympic Bar ReviewThis barbell comes in two forms: a 44-pound version intended for men, and a 33-pound version intended for women. With its 1000-pound maximum weight capacity, this is a barbell intended for powerlifting. Like most powerlifting bars, it’s got bushing and fairly smooth sleeve rotation.

Furthermore, it’s got medium-depth knurling to ensure a balance between grip and comfort, and zinc coating to resist and counteract rusting.

It’s got a tensile strength of about 330 pounds, so it will stay totally rigid until you reach weights at that level or above.

Pros
  • comes in both a men’s and a women’s version
  • has a 1000-pound maximum weight-bearing capacity
  • excellent knurling that enables strong gripping without causing discomfort
  • zinc coating to prevent rust
Cons
  • somewhat expensive

Verdict: If you’ve got extra money to spend, this an excellent powerlifting barbell. Cheaper alternatives are available, however.

3. Synergee Regional Olympic — Most Versatile Olympic Barbell

Synergee Regional Olympic ReviewThis barbell’s impressive 1,500-pound maximum weight bearing capacity might lead you to think that it is built exclusively for heavy-duty powerlifting, but it’s just as serviceable for CrossFit training, or for any kind of lifting where the emphasis isn’t necessarily on lifting the greatest amount of weight possible.

It’s got a 13-inch loadable sleeve with 10 bearings making up the rotation system, as well as an almost unbelievable tensile strength of 190,000 PSI.

This combination of features shows that it has the great load-bearing capacity of a powerlifting bar and also the rotation system of a CrossFit bar. The bar also comes in a 44-pound version for men and a 33-pound version for women.

Pros
  • extremely versatile
  • comes in versions meant for men as well as for women
  • incredible 190,000 PSI tensile strength
  • 1,500-pound maximum load bearing capacity
Cons
  • on the expensive side

Verdict: This barbell is suitable for all kinds of workout routines, but its high weight-bearing capacity is especially impressive. We recommend it.

4. XMark Voodoo Commercial 7′ Olympic Bar — Best Non-Corroding Powerlifting Barbell

XMark Voodoo Commercial 7' Olympic Bar ReviewThis 7-foot long, 44-pound barbell has many of the impressive features that rank it among the best powerlifting barbells.

like a 1,500-pound maximum load-bearing capacity, a tensile strength of 185,000 PSI, and special grooves on the sleeves designed to keep especially heavy plates from slipping off — but what makes it truly unique is its ability to last a long time and withstand corrosion.

Its black manganese phosphate shaft is made and coated with one of the best anti-corrosive materials available, so this barbell will be sure to last and last.

Pros
  • extremely high weight-bearing capacity (up to 1,500 pounds)
  • high tensile strength (185,000 PSI)
  • excellent powerlifting bar overall
  • special grooves on the sleeves keep plates from slipping
  • highly corrosion-resistant
Cons
  • more expensive than some barbells on the market

Verdict: This isn’t just a great powerlifting bar. It’s also well-suited for the quick and sudden movements of a CrossFit routine because of the grooves on its sleeves. We recommend it.

5. CAP Barbell Olympic Bar Original — Best Barbell for Beginners

CAP Barbell Olympic Bar Original ReviewSimilar in many ways to the Blue Flame CAP barbell that we considered above, this model also has a tensile strength of 110,000 PSI, though only has a maximum weight-bearing capability of 1,000 pounds.

Despite not being able to bear as much weight as some of the barbells designed specifically for powerlifting, this barbell is nevertheless highly reliable and can bear enough weight to allow you to perform virtually any kind of workout you can dream of.

It can carry 2-inch Olympic plates and has bushings as part of its rotation system.

Pros
  • very reliable
  • high tensile strength (110,000 PSI)
  • chrome coating that prevents rust
  • excellent value
Cons
  • not able to bear as much weight as some other heavy-duty barbells

Verdict: If you’re a beginner and are looking for a barbell that is reliable and provides great overall values, this is an excellent choice.

6. XMark Lumberjack 7′ Olympic Bar — Best CrossFit Workout Barbell

XMark Lumberjack 7' Olympic Bar ReviewThough this barbell only has a maximum weight-bearing capacity of 700 pounds — which is significantly less than that of your typical powerlifting barbell — it’s excellent for lower-weight and high-rep exercises that can still jet you jacked.

Chrome-plated sleeves and a black manganese phosphate shaft keeps the bar from rusting and the brass bushing combines with those aforementioned features to give it superb longevity. The knurling is decent as well.

Pros
  • very rust-resistant
  • meant to last a long time
  • perfect for CrossFit routines or other high-rep, low-weight exercises
Cons
  • not meant for extreme powerlifting; can only bear up to 700 pounds of weight

Verdict: If you need a good barbell for your CrossFit training, this model is an excellent choice. Just make sure that you don’t use it for any especially strenuous powerlifting.

7. Body-Solid 7 Foot Olympic Barbell — Best Rust-Resistant CrossFit Barbell

Body-Solid 7 Foot Olympic Barbell ReviewThis 44-pound, 7-foot long, 30-millimeter thick barbell with 15.5-inch long collars and a 51-inch long central grip bar to hold onto as you lift has a 600-pound maximum weight-bearing capability that makes it perfect not only for CrossFit training, but for reasonably intense powerlifting as well.

The knurled grips will be extremely useful as you jack up the weight and the bar won’t rust. Just don’t expect to use this bar to set any powerlifting records.

Pros
  • rust-resistant
  • effective knurling
  • great for CrossFit training
Cons
  • only has a 600-pound maximum weight-bearing capacity

Verdict: This barbell is not only superbly suited for CrossFit training, but is extremely affordable as well. If powerlifting is your thing, however, we suggest considering other options.

8. Yaheetech Olympic 7 feet Weight Bar — Best Inexpensive CrossFit Barbell

Yaheetech Olympic 7 feet Weight Bar ReviewThis extremely affordable iron barbell is just ideal for CrossFit, or any other kind of workout routines involving low weights and lots of repetitions.

Since it can only bear up to 330 pounds of total weight, it’s crucial that you not use this bar for powerlifting or for any other kind of serious or heavy-duty lift.

It’s simply not meant for that task. Since it has no coating, it’s also prone to rust if you don’t take proper care of it.

Pros
  • very cheap
  • reasonably well-built and works well for CrossFit or other low-weight workouts
Cons
  • can only handle up to 330 pounds of weight
  • prone to rusting

Verdict: This bar has some quality issues, but this comes with the territory for bars this cheap. If you insist on saving money, this is still a fairly good choice.

9. CAP Barbell Classic 7-Foot Olympic Bar — Decent Cheap Olympic Barbell

CAP Barbell Classic 7-Foot Olympic Bar ReviewThis barbell is meant for those who don’t mind sacrificing some quality in their quest to save money. It weighs 37 pounds and can bear a maximum of 500 pounds of weight.

Despite this, we don’t recommend using it for any kind of serious powerlifting. It’s got a tensile strength of 63,800 PSI — considerably less than most of the other barbells we have been discussing here.

Despite this, it has decent knurls, and for the price, the rolled steel of which it’s made is reasonably strong.

Pros
  • very cheap
  • decent overall quality for the price
  • serviceable if you don’t plan to lift very great weights
Cons
  • considerably lower tensile strength than many other barbells (63,800 PSI)
  • can only bear up to 500 pounds of weight

Verdict: If you happen to be a stickler for quality, don’t bother with this barbell. However, if affordability is what you care about most, it might be worth a look.

10. Weider Olympic Bar with 2 Collars Chrome Barbell — Least Expensive Olympic Barbell

Weider Olympic Bar with 2 Collars Chrome Barbell ReviewThis 7-foot long, 45-pound weightlifting barbell is decent for those who might just be getting into weightlifting and aren’t looking to spend much money.

As it can only handle up to 350 pounds of weight, it’s absolutely not suitable for stronger or more experienced weightlifters.

The bar comes with two Olympic-sized clip collars to keep the plates that you put on it in place.

Pros
  • very inexpensive
  • may be suitable for beginners or for high-school age kids looking to start lifting
Cons
  • overall quality leaves quite a bit to be desired
Verdict: Only buy this barbell if you are a total beginner and are on a tight budget. If these things don’t apply to you, then there are very strong reasons to simply choose something else.

Best Olympic Barbell – Buyer’s Guide

You’ve now seen a selection of 10 excellent Olympic-grade barbells, but don’t rush out to set up your home gym and start lifting just yet. Beyond knowing about a few specific products, it also pays to have some general knowledge of how to distinguish a good barbell from a shoddy one and how barbells differ with respect to their suitability for different lifting styles.

Ironing out rough patches in your knowledge in this way will only make you a more confident shopper overall, so that you may be completely confident in your ability to find what you need.

Why it’s Important to be Aware of the Characteristics of Different Barbells and to Choose the Right One

Let’s start with the most general question of all. Why is it so important to know what distinguishes a good barbell from a bad one? What are some of the possible consequences of unknowingly choosing a bad one?

As we’ll show in more detail below, different barbells are tailored to people with different lifting styles. They are meant to handle different levels of weight, have different levels of knurling (which may be either uncomfortable, insufficient or just right, depending on the kind of person you are), or have different tensile or yield strengths. You might buy a certain barbell, load it up with more weight than it can bear and inadvertently end up irreversibly bending and damaging it.

Since you obviously wouldn’t want anything like that to happen, it’s important to be aware of the characteristic that we’re about to discuss.

The Most Important Characteristics of a Barbell

There are six major physical characteristics of every barbell that you will have to evaluate before you can judge its quality. These are:

  • Steel Quality: Since your barbell is going to be made primarily, if not exclusively, of steel, high-quality steel is crucial to every good barbell. The two most important properties to look at when examining the strength of a steel barbell are its tensile strength and its yield strength. Tensile strength is a material’s ability to resist bending or breaking when put under pressure, and yield strength — usually measured in pounder per square inch (PSI) — is the amount of stress that a material can withstand before it begins to deform in irreversible ways.
  • Finish or Coating: When evaluating a given barbell’s steel quality, there’s more to consider than merely the steel’s raw strength. In addition to raw strength, the coating on a steel barbell is also an indicator of its quality, as coating is meant to prevent the steel from rusting. Chrome, black zinc and cerakote are three common types of coatings, although a truly high-quality stainless steel bar will be rust-resistant all on its own. Such stainless steel bars will also usually feel comfortable and natural to lift, so if the cost is not prohibitive, aim for the best quality uncoated stainless steel bars that you can find.
  • Spin and Sleeves: The sleeves on a barbell bar, otherwise known as its spin system, are designed to spin the bar when dropped, and therefore to redistribute force in certain ways and minimize any damage that may be done. There are two basic kinds of spin systems: bushings and bearings. If you expect to be dropping the bar often (after lifting exceptionally heavy weights, for instance), opt for a bearing system. Bars with bearing systems spin more easily and therefore can better withstand being dropped. However, they also tend to be more expensive and not as generally resistant to ordinary wear-and-tear as barbells with bushing rotation systems are. Barbells with bushings are therefore better for beginners. The right choice for you will depend on what you plan to be doing with your barbell. It will be up to you to determine how best to negotiate this trade-off.
  • Bar Diameter: The most common thickness of the best-designed Olympic barbells is 28 millimeters. Some bars meant specifically for powerlifting may be 30 millimeters thick in order to make them more rigid, but unless you are a power lifter 28 millimeters will be the most common diameter that you see as you shop around.
  • Whip: This property refers to a bar’s ability to bend under weight and then to snap back into form after being bent. Various other properties shaft diameter and steel type go into determining a bar’s whip. Olympic weightlifters seeking to lift extremely high weights will usually desire some amount of whip in their bars, but in general, the ideal barbell should be exceptionally stiff.
  • Knurling: Knurling is a manufacturing process that weaves criss-crossed lines, ridges or other patterns into some kind of material. For barbells, some knurling is crucial because that is what allows lifters to confidently grip the bar. Without any knurling, a smooth steel bar could easily slip out of a lifter’s hands as they get sweaty and cause untold damage or injury. Large an aggressive knurling pay prevent slippage, but it can poke at and hurt your hands, causing progressively greater discomfort as their weight you lift grows greater. For that reason, a bar with a moderate amount of knurling is usually best.

Different Bars and Different Lifting Styles

Olympic barbells can be broken up into a few categories based on what sorts of lifting they are best designed for. It’s important to be aware of these categories because it will be impossible to choose the right bar for you if you don’t know which bars are meant for what.

The two main divisions to consider involve high weights, slow movements and low numbers of reps on the one hand, and lower weights, fast movements and large amounts of reps on the other. The broad types of Olympic barbells and their associated lifting styles, therefore, are:

  • Power Lifting Bars: Power lifters tend to perform slow exercises at very high weight levels, like squats, dead lifts and bench presses. If this is what you intend to do, you’ll need a very strong, stiff bar. A great amount of spin will not be necessary since you won’t be dropping the bar often. Bushings and minimal amounts of whip are probably what you’ll want. You’ll also probably need at least a decent amount of knurling since a bar loaded with gargantuan weights is not something you’d want to risk having slip out of your grasp.
  • CrossFit Bars: CrossFit barbell exercises tend to involve lower weights, but faster, more sudden and jerkier movements. Because of the high pace and sudden movements of a CrossFit routine, you’ll find yourself throwing the bar to the ground quite often. Having a barbell with bearings and rubber bumpers is a good idea if you plan to use it for CrossFit.

Conclusion

That wraps up what we have to say about Olympic barbells and how to find the best one for you and your particular workout needs. Since we all know that you’re eager to start lifting, we’ve sought only to present you with a selection of barbells that run the gamut of capability and to arm you with the necessary knowledge to distinguish a quality barbell from a shoddy one, and to find the barbell that suits you best. By all means, now that you’re ready, get out there and start lifting!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Chase says

    May 6, 2019 at 2:48 am

    I hope that your website will help me in finding the best Olympic barbell as I’ve already spent days looking through different reviews and videos. It seems like here it’s more convenient to make a choice than on the other websites.

    Reply
  2. Anthony says

    May 25, 2019 at 4:54 pm

    I use Body-Solid 7 Foot Olympic Barbell for my CrossFit training and I haven’t found any problems with it. I like that this barbel is durable yet not very expensive.

    Reply
  3. Sisilia says

    July 6, 2019 at 5:26 pm

    CAP Barbell Olympic Bar Blue Flame is the best barbell I’ve ever used in my professional sports life. That’s why I can recommend it to everyone I know and even in the comments.

    Reply
  4. Fernando says

    August 13, 2019 at 1:45 am

    I didn’t expect I find my gym has the best Olympic barbell. But now I’m happy I train with the best equipment.

    Reply
  5. Michael says

    September 4, 2019 at 2:01 am

    I’m only at the start of my weightlifting way, but I’ve already bought an Olympic barbel to train better. I’m not sure it’s the best one, that’s why I’m here, trying to find it.

    Reply
  6. Joe says

    October 5, 2019 at 1:46 pm

    Synergee Regional Olympic is the perfect option for gym owners, especially if your gym is for men and women. They’re both feel great about using this barbel. And I’m happy with the price and quality.

    Reply
  7. David says

    November 4, 2019 at 11:42 am

    what age is ok to start practicing with such things? I am 15 and I think it would be cool to learn to lift a lot of weight, but it’s worth starting with something like that.

    Reply
  8. Andrew says

    November 29, 2019 at 5:23 am

    For me, I decided that the barbell is not for me, but every day I see guys in the gym lifting a lot of weight with the Body-Solid 7 Foot Olympic Barbell and admire their strength

    Reply
  9. Antonio says

    December 8, 2019 at 9:06 am

    Choosing a barbell for a fitness room is not an easy task, because you need to match any request. Body-Solid looks a great choice.

    Reply
  10. Ian says

    December 29, 2019 at 7:58 am

    CAP are decent bars, ends spin easily, finish has held up well for the last couple of months, no compaints, especially for the price

    Reply
  11. Elizabeth says

    January 5, 2020 at 10:37 am

    Rep Sabre Olympic Barbell was unharmed, covered in oil, even the end caps; a quick wipe with a rag and it was ready to go; after a few warm up squats and some bench presses, the oil wasn’t a problem. Recommended

    Reply
  12. Robert says

    January 28, 2020 at 3:21 pm

    I’m a fan of Xmark. I especially like the aggressive knurling and the bushings are really smooth but not free-spinning like the worn out generic bar I had been using.

    Reply
  13. Gabriel says

    February 6, 2020 at 5:27 pm

    Well, don;t know about Xmark. I saw it in other sporthalls and wasn’t very impressed. But I can say about CAP Barbell Original. The most I’ve added to this bar so far was 605lbs for a standard deadlift, and there wasn’t even the slightest bend, so this bar definitely can handle heavy weight.

    Reply
  14. Yan says

    April 2, 2020 at 5:28 am

    I have XMark Fitness. The knurling on this is superb, and if you pair it with some chalk and hook grip, that bar might as well be glued into your hands. Do note this is a stiff bar, but hey it only helps that much with your transition off the floor on a deadlift. I’ve yet to try benching with it but I’m sure it would be better than my old cheap walmart bar, lol))

    Reply
  15. Koen says

    April 28, 2020 at 1:04 pm

    Agreed about XMark Fitness. The brass bushings have a smooth spin for what I need. I’m just a guy trying to stay in shape in my garage & I’ll never need bearings.

    Reply
  16. Thomas says

    May 5, 2020 at 2:04 pm

    Bought Body-Solid barbell to replace a wonky bar that was going bad. Much better construction on this one. Nothing has needed tightened and it feels incredibly sturdy. The grips are placed in just the right spots.

    Reply
  17. Sebastian says

    June 2, 2020 at 4:59 pm

    If you are looking to furnish your home gym you need Body-Solid bar. You cannot beat the price for the quality. It is sturdy and can handle a lot of weight without bending and is a true 45 lb bar. The knurling is deep providing great grip.

    Reply
  18. Gregor says

    July 1, 2020 at 5:01 pm

    1.5 years later, XMark Fitness barbell is still going strong. No issues. I prefer it to most any bar I pick up in my local CrossFit gym. Can you spend a lot more and get a little better spin or some super groovy colors? Sure.

    Reply
  19. Lucas says

    August 3, 2020 at 4:17 pm

    So far so good! I purchased the CAP Barbell bar in October of 2016 for my wife. She is 5’3” and ~ 105lbs with fairly small hands. She loves this bar. She especially likes it for dead-lifts, front squats, and back squats.

    Reply
  20. Elizabeth says

    September 2, 2020 at 10:18 am

    Before the price gouging from 3rd parties Xmark’s one was about $100 less expensive but I don’t know why – the quality is outstanding.

    Reply
  21. Gregor says

    October 7, 2020 at 6:41 pm

    Weider’s bar is a great deal for the price. Keep in mind this is a shorter bar (so it may not work for some peoples needs). But it’s perfect for me. Definitely would repurchase & would recommend to a friend.

    Reply
  22. Gregory says

    November 4, 2020 at 11:14 am

    I love Body-Solid! Super good quality, comes very fast, cost a little above average in other stores

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Before Footer

ABOUT ME

Jason Johnson

Jason Johnson here, I created SportsTopics.com to give people a better product insight before they make that all-important purchase.

GETTING IN TOUCH

Phone: +1(213)423-0865
Email: [email protected]
Hours: Mon — Fri: 10:00am – 6:00pm
Saturday – Sunday: 12:00am – 2:00pm

555 West 5th Street, 35th Floor Los Angeles, CA 90013, USA

AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE

Some posts may contain affiliate links. SportsTopics.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases

DMCA.com Protection Status

  • Contacts
  • About
  • Amazon Affiliate Disclosure
  • Terms Of Service
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 · sportstopics.com · ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok